Shōgi musō
by Kuro Chosha
Summary: In the Land of Fire, a seemingly average boy tries to live his ideals of helping others, regardless of his apparent weakness.  But upon meeting a forgotten person from his past, a long forgotten secret may hold the way for him to find his potential.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining down on a warm, clear summer day in a little village in the Land of Fire. A teenage boy who looked rather scrawny was seated at a table outside a tea shop reading a manga book. His black spikey hair shook slightly as an easy breeze blew through the bustling town area. But the boy paid no attention to the crowds as his eyes remained glued to his comic with a pair of earphones feeding music into his head that his foot was constantly tapping in rhythm with. This was just another day for Ryou Yamada. Just another day passing without change, and he was okay with that. But little did he know that this life of lazy lounging was about to end for him.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, shortening the shadows as the noon hour grew closer, a ruckus could suddenly be heard breaking out across the shopping area. Ryou could barely hear the sounds through his earphones, but yanked them out with one hand as he stood to see what was happening. Weaving through the crowds of people, only half of whom seemed to notice or even care about what was taking place, Ryou made his way forward and saw the events unfolding. The elderly owner of the village ramen shop was being harassed by a group of four teenagers that looked a little older than Ryou himself.

"What's your problem you old fart?" one of the delinquents was shouting in the owner's face. "Where do you get off telling us to leave your store when we're having a good time? We're paying customers you bastard! You're supposed to just shut up and leave us alone until we damn feel like leaving. You just stay behind your counter and keep out of our way before we come to have a problem."

Ryou was extremely displeased with these young men's behavior. The ramen shop owner was an extremely kind man who had never done anything wrong to a person in his life. He would even give Ryou free meals from time to time as a reward for his patronage and frequent company. The only solution Ryou could see was to intervene. Pushing his way out of the crowds, he walked silently up behind one of the guys and grabbed a steaming bowl of ramen from the table next to him, presumably his own. Without hesitation, Ryou poured the contents of the bowl over the guy's head, causing him to roar in pain, jumping up and down as he clutched both of his hands on his head. The attention of all present in the shop was suddenly on the screaming delinquent and immediately shifted to Ryou standing behind him. The troublemakers wasted no time turning their aggression onto him.

"So what do you think you're doing here punk? Can't you see we're busy here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to make you no good punks leave. You're causing trouble for the owner as well as any customers he might have if it weren't for you driving them away." Ryou waved a hand at the empty seats in the shop to emphasize his point. The others didn't seem to care about his analysis.

"Guess we've found ourselves a regular Boy Scout guys." the guy who seemed to be in charge stated sarcastically, "Do you think we should listen to what he says…or have some more fun instead?"

"He burned my head!" screamed the guy Ryou had sneaked up on.

"Relax man, I was joking. Quit taking things so serious. Alright, let's show this little interferer what happens to people who try and play hero."

Ryou took the first act as they prepared to move in on him. Darting at the guy who he'd burned before, he threw a punch that easily landed in the guy's stomach due his weak guard since he still had a hand on his head burns. The guy went off balance from the sudden attack and crashed down onto a table, which collapsed from the impact and made him crash to the floor in a heap.

"Don't get cocky, bastard!" one of the others yelled from behind Ryou. Next, he saw stars as something hard was smashed into the back of his head and he fell to the floor in a daze. All he could do from there was flinch in pain as he was kicked repeatedly for the next couple of minutes. When the delinquents had grown tired of it, the leader spoke up.

"I think he's learned his lesson. Come on boys, let's get out of here."

They left, but not before one of them landed another kick in Ryou's rib cage. He struggled to get up, feeling the throbbing of forming bruises all over his body. He was then assisted in reaching his feet by the old shop owner who seemed very worried about what had unfolded.

"While I have to say thank you Ryou-kun, I can't understand why you always do stuff like that. You know that you're not that strong, yet you continue to try and intervene when others are not behaving. If you keep doing that, one day you'll get yourself killed!"

Ryou wore a solemn look as he began to limp out of the shop. "Somebody has to help in these situations. It's the right thing to do."

The day returned to its former boring state; Ryou returned to his book and music, and the crowds went about their busy lives again. Like the shop owner had said, that hadn't been the first time Ryou had tried to break up a disturbance or crime. No matter what the odds, he always rushed in to try and help those who were victims. But he wasn't talented enough in a fight to handle multiple opponents by himself. Many times that he interfered like that, he ended up just as he was now: battered and bruised. But it was worth it in order to help somebody. He just wished that he had the strength to do so without sacrificing his own physical health. But no matter how much he trained, he didn't seem to be able to improve. His jutsu attempts were a joke, always failing for no apparent reason. Those who had previously tried to teach him had given up fast, saying that he simply had no talent in producing and utilizing chakra. That didn't stop him from trying on his own, but it was increasingly disheartening these days to repeat the same failures of previous days, months, and years.

As the sun finished its descent past the horizon and the crowds faded away, Ryou decided that it was a good time to start heading home. He kicked at a rock on the ground as he walked, taking his journey at a leisurely pace and enjoying the feel of the cool night air. As he turned down a dim street, he heard a faint sound ringing out over the air. It was light and mesmerizing; a melodious sound that enticed Ryou's curiosity to make him go and find out what was making it. He walked to the end of the street and listened to figure out what direction to search next. He heard it coming from another side road and quickened his pace to try and catch up with whatever or whoever it was. He was led down street after street, eventually breaking into a run, but never getting closer to the sound. He turned around another corner and hit something hard with a thud, falling backwards to the ground in surprise.

"Well if it isn't our little friend back for some more punishment."

Ryou stared up into the eyes of the same men from before, but this time there were more of them. The sound he'd been following had led him right into a gang hangout spot. Glancing around, he counted seven in total, and none of those seven looked particularly friendly. Ryou started backing away, but quickly found his exit blocked by two of the other men. The one he'd run into was the same leader from the ramen shop.

"Guess you rushed in here hoping to get revenge for our lesson today huh? You're not very bright. But if you get down on your hands and knees, we might be willing to let you leave here without incident."

Ryou's gaze sank as his head tilted, trying to hide the fear mixed with fury that was on his face right now. His fists balled as he tried to contain himself. But the others didn't seem to want to wait.

"Well, get to it bastard! We don't have all night!"

Ryou took a fist to the stomach which made him double over in pain. But it also ignited his rising temper and defiance. He stood back up and revealed his face, creased with fury.

"I won't!" he shouted in the other man's face. "You all are just a bunch of low lives that pick on the weak and think you're so great. Well I'm not going to back down; even if I know that I have little chance of winning!"

"You…BRAT! Get him boys!"

Ryou prepared to fight, but knew that it was hopeless. Then something strange happened; music burst out from behind a nearby roof. It was a quick pace pop song, one that Ryou knew well. His ears and mind filled with the sound as he watched the gang closing in on him. As the first three struck out from different directions, he jumped into the air over their reaching arms and kicked the first one clean across the face. The other two tried to move back and regroup. Moving in beat with the music playing from above, Ryou easily kept pace with them, moving at a speed that was much faster than he thought possible of him. Two quick blows from his fists found vital spots through their guards and knocked the two of them out before they could break away. In the time this had taken to occur, the other four had completely surrounded Ryou on all four sides. But as they each took their first step forward, he ran at each of them in turn with the quick beats of the playing music and defeated them with powerful straights into their stomachs, causing enough pain to make them pass out.

Ryou stood in disbelief. Not knowing where this sudden change in his ability had come from. But as he wondered, he noticed a faint glow shining under his shirt. Pulling up his sleeve, he saw what appeared to be some sort of tattoo on his arm below his left shoulder. It was the characters for hisha (flying chariot) shining on him, though he knew that it had never had the mark before. He tried to make sense of things when something impacted him from above, causing him to crash to the ground. Shaking his head to clear it up, he looked up and saw a girl kneeling on top of him wearing a look of utmost happiness.

"I've finally found you, my dear Ryou!"

All that could go through Ryou's head was the question, who is this girl?

-Chapter 1 End-


	2. Chapter 2  An Old Friend

Shogi Muso Chapter 2: An Old Friend

This was certainly a strange turnout. This girl who had appeared out of nowhere knew Ryou's name and was being awfully familiar. He was filled with embarrassment by her shameless act of sitting on top of him. Scrambling out from under her and hastily getting to his feet, he addressed her while aware of the burning feeling of a blush filling his face.

"W-who the hell are you! And why are you speaking to me so informally? Come to think about it, how do you even know my name!"

The girl half turned away, letting a hurt look blossom across her face. Ryou heard a sniffle as she replied. "How can you even say such things? Have you forgotten me already; after all the time we spent together?"

Ryou's fierce accusing face melted into an apologetic expression in response to this reaction. "No, don't cry. I didn't mean to be so harsh." He was wondering how he could continue this discussion without hurting her feelings even more when she suddenly began to shake before bursting out with a ringing laugh that filled the narrow alley.

"Wow Ryou, you really haven't changed. Always weak to the tears of a fair maiden."

Ryou felt his blush burning again. "You….quit making fun of me! Who are you anyway!"

The girl shrunk back again, as if about to pretend to cry again, but only grinned mischievously and stuck her tongue out as if to say 'fooled you'. Extremely annoyed, but starting to calm down, Ryou was now aware of how pretty she was. She stood a few inches shorter than him with a head of brownish blonde hair that hung down just past her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep blue that shimmered with the lights of the alleyway reflected in them. Not much of a figure, Ryou thought to himself, but overall she was as pretty as a doll. He was suddenly smacked in the head as she brought her balled fist down on his temple, half scowling with a suspecting look.

"You were thinking dirty thoughts just now weren't you?" she accused him with a piercing gaze. He immediately tried to deny the thoughts, but she began to giggle before he could string his sentence together. "It's okay Ryou. You're a guy after all. Besides…I don't mind if it's you."

Ryou's face burned its brightest at this statement, but he didn't have a chance to say anything before one of the defeated delinquents on the ground began to stir.

"Y-you…fuckin' bastard!"

"Uh-oh, run!" the girl took Ryou's hand and pulled him down the alley, away from the injured men. They ran for many minutes, weaving through the back roads and alleys to make sure they weren't followed. Stopping to catch their breath, the girl started up the conversation again.

"It's just like old times; one of us getting into trouble, and the other helping them out. Of course you were the one to help me more often than the other way around. Since it's no fault of your own that you don't remember me, I guess I should tell you my name. I'm Yui. Yui Anami."

"I…" Ryou paused as he answered. "I don't know my surname. I don't remember a lot about when I was younger. My first memories are from 6 years ago. I found myself outside this village knowing nothing about how I got here or even where I came from. I only knew my first name."

An awkward silence followed his sad recollection, broken by his choice.

"My home's not far from here. You can come and stay for the night if you don't have anywhere else to go."

He wondered if his words had been wise as Yui's face lit up with excitement and she latched onto his arm in an instant.

"My goodness. My Ryou is still the same gentleman he always was. Lead the way!"

They walked in silence the rest of the way to his home: a short single story place that was extremely run down. Because of its appearance, any random person walking by it would probably think that it was abandoned. But Ryou had called it home ever since he'd started living in this village. It was all he could afford.

Once inside he invited Yui to sit and hurried to the cramped kitchen space adjacent to the main room to try and find something for her to drink. He was disappointed in being reminded that he was out of finer things and had to embarrassingly return to her with only a glass of water.

"Sorry about this." He muttered sheepishly. "I suppose it's obvious, but I don't live well."

"I don't mind" Yui answered matter-of-factly as she sipped from her glass. She glanced down at the table they were sitting at and muttered, "I'd imagine that the others are in similar situations."

"What was that?" Ryou inquired, since he'd only heard bits of her sentence due to her low volume.

"Oh nothing, just thinking out loud."

Ryou could tell that she was hiding something. He decided that he wouldn't get anywhere by acting like he didn't trust her and drowning her in an ocean of questions. He'd have to find things out slowly as she chose to reveal them. He stood up and scratched his head as he tried to decide on arrangements for the night.

"I only have one futon. You can use it tonight. But there's no bath here. We'll have to go to the bathhouse a few blocks away."

Yui followed him in silence as he led the way to the bathhouse. She seemed much quieter than when she'd first approached him in the alley. Whenever he stole a glimpse of her face, he could see a look of sadness mixed with what looked like guilt before she would give a light smile to mask what she was thinking. The lady who owned the bathhouse teased him about having finally found a girlfriend, but was disappointed when their attitudes proved not willing to react to the fun. Ryou soaked in the warm water, still trying to piece together what this all meant. His fight against the thugs, Yui's apparent knowledge of his past…he couldn't fit anything together. Had she perhaps made him perform as well as he did? And if so…how? He mulled the questions in his mind until his bath was over. He didn't have to wait long for Yui outside in the lobby. Her demeanor hadn't changed at all during their separation. They began to return to his home in the same silent manner that they had come with.

Ryou didn't know what was bothering Yui, but he couldn't help thinking that it was his fault somehow. He slowed his pace and started to match hers, taking a spot right beside her.

"Ummm…I'm sorry that I don't remember you. I hope that you can forgive me."

"It's not that," she answered slowly, as if carefully measuring every word in her response, "just that...watch out!"

Ryou was thrown to the ground as Yui dove into him. The spot they'd been standing in prior suddenly seemed to explode with a shower of dirt and pebbles from the street. Ryou and Yui pulled themselves to their knees as they spotted a man dressed entirely in black assassin attire. He was even clad in a black hooded mask that fully encompassed his head, hiding his facial features from sight. He was tall and sinewy, but with a balanced frame that threatened of swiftness and cunning. His long arms were moving quickly, reeling in a chain that stretched from his position to the spot that he had just attacked them in. On the end of the chain was a small metal ball about the size of an egg. But despite its minor appearance, Ryou could tell from the damage it had done to the street that it was something to avoid contact with.

"How lucky I am that she led me right to the target. Now I don't have to waste time finding you myself." He spoke with a cold voice that revealed no trace of kindness. "I hope that you'll provide me an entertaining struggle before you die boy."

"Ryou, run-" Yui tried to warn Ryou, but her words never reached him. He had already scrambled to his feet from their spot on the ground and was charging straight at their attacker. Again, he didn't know why he was behaving this way, but he felt that it was the right thing to do. He threw a left punch that was easily deflected by the assassin. But rather than launching a heavy counter-attack, the opponent only threw Ryou down to the ground, looking dissatisfied.

"That's not the way kid. Show me what you've really got. Why don't you take your little music player you've got in your pocket and beat me the way you beat the thugs before?"

Ryou was shocked by the man's words, but also found realization dawning on him as the sudden burst in his performance began to piece together. Grabbing his earphones, he jammed them in both ears and selected an energetic tune that began to get him pumped. He darted forward next, much faster than his first attack. But this attack was avoided completely; as was the following one and the one after that. This assassin was a pro, and he proved it as he continued to toy with Ryou and his serious attempts to defeat him.

"That's it. This is the strength they wanted. But while it's good enough to handle everyday street thugs, it's a parlor trick against someone as fast as me. You see, your speed may have been incredibly boosted, maybe even a bit faster than me, but your source is also your weakness. If the enemy knows the rhythm with which you're moving…" Ryou was surprised as the man produced a knife from his belt and deftly interrupted his coming attack with swift moves that ended with Ryou wearing a shocked expression on his face with streams of blood spurting from his body, "…it makes their victory all the more easier."

Ryou could barely hear him anymore as the man finished his sentence. He fell to the ground in a daze, one earphone tugged from his head as he fell in an awkward motion. His vision was going dark, and he could feel his strength fading. He would lay here and bleed to death, taking his questions about who he was and Yui to his grave. But then something began to surface in his mind. He could hear noises. Sounds like the rushed pants of people running from something, or the rustling of dense forest greenery. Then he began to hear voices.

"This is where we part ways. Ryou you have to stay here. Yui, you're coming with me."

Who was it talking? Ryou couldn't tell. It was an older person, a woman by the sound of the voice. Then a much younger female voice began to protest.

"No! I don't want to leave Ryou! We're all that each other has left! You've already left all the others behind!"

"That is the way it has to be. Together you'd all be too easy to find. This is to make sure you stay hidden. And I'm sorry Ryou, but I'll need to seal your memories too. I just hope that you can find a peaceful life here."

"No Ryou! Don't let her do it! Ryou!"

The young voice echoed in his mind as he found himself coming back to reality, drawn by something.

"Ryou!" Yui's voice reached his ear, making him wake up with a start. The assassin didn't seem to notice that he'd regained consciousness, but instead kept advancing towards Yui.

"You're wasting your time girly. He doesn't have the strength to stand anymore. Now do us both a favor and just die like a good girl."

Ryou suddenly became aware that the earphone in his other ear was still playing music. He concentrated on the sound and felt the same strength flowing back into his body. He leapt to his feet and launched a flying kick at the man's back, roaring in protest. His shouts alerted the foe to his presence and he sailed clean over him as he ducked, causing Ryou to land in front of Yui.

"I won't let you touch her. She's an important friend of mine. Leave us alone now!"

"Ryou…" Yui still seemed worried, but Ryou kept his place between her and the attacker.

"I'll protect you Yui. And I won't let anything separate us again like that woman back then."

"You…remember?"

"Hate to interrupt kids, but regardless of this miraculous recovery of yours boy, you still don't have a way of beating me with your little trick."

Ryou then felt Yui's arms wrap around him from behind. His other earphone was pulled from his ear and he felt the warmth of her breath as she whispered in his ear.

"Attack him again. This time, we'll do it together. You don't need the earphones."

Ryou nodded an affirmative response, but was confused. He didn't see how limiting his strength was a good move, but Yui seemed to know more about what he could do than he did. So he decided to trust her and charged forward with his own natural speed.

The assassin laughed as Ryou approached, raising his ball above his head and started to whirl it above himself, preparing for a throw. Ryou thought it was all over until a new, familiar sound rang out from behind him. Yui was singing in the mesmerizing voice that had entranced Ryou when he'd been on his way home before. It was a beautiful, but active song she sang that influenced him in the same way the music in his earphones had. His speed increased again and he closed the distance between himself and the opponent.

"Don't get full of yourself boy!" his foe roared as he let the ball fly towards Ryou's body. But something was different about his attack now. Ryou easily dodged the ball and continued his advance. It was almost too easy. Like his attack had come at the perfect time for Ryou to dodge. Thinking nothing more of it, Ryou finished his approach and jumped up with a heavy blow aimed at the underside of the man's chin. He raised his knife to try and counter, but seemed surprised as his speed failed him and Ryou's attack landed first. The blow knocked him into the air and sent him crashing down to the road. Ryou stood where he'd hit him, breathing heavily with relief. The assassin was obviously shaken up, able to speak, but apparently unable to stand again.

"What…what did you do to me?"

"You said it yourself." Yui spoke from behind Ryou. Ryou turned and saw her standing with characters for osho shining on her forearm. "'If the enemy knows the rhythm with which you're moving, it makes their victory all the more easier.'"

"I wasn't moving with any rhythm" the fallen enemy protested.

"I made you do so." Yui cut in matter-of- factly. "My singing can do more than provide Ryou with his boost. I can also layer in a subtle genjitsu that influences the enemy to move and attack in rhythm with my singing the same way Ryou moves with it. This messes up their intended timing and allows Ryou to strike first. That's my role as the king."

"Heh, so you were too much for me in the end after all. But don't think it ends here. I'm the least of what's going to come after you. Due me a favor kid, make sure you last a while longer so you prove that I didn't lose to a lucky punch."

Ryou and Yui both started forward as the assassin took his knife and plunged it into his own heart. They stood there for a few moments, horrified by the action. But Ryou suddenly became aware of his wounds and a numb feeling spreading through his body. Without further warning, he passed out on the road, exhausted from the night's events and the bleeding of his wounds.


End file.
